The Secretariat support staff will be led by Professor Ade Adefuye, Head of the Africa Section, Political Affairs Division. An Advance Team consisting of two observers has been present in The Gambia since 1 September 2006 and will report to the main Observer Group upon their arrival.

The Observers have been invited in their individual capacities and the views they express regarding the election will be their own and not those either of their respective governments or of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

At the end of its task, the Group will submit its report to Mr McKinnon.He will then transmit it to the Government of The Gambia, the country´s Independent Electoral Commission and the political parties taking partin the election. The Secretary-General will thereafter circulate copies to all Commonwealth governments, following which the report will be made public.

The Observer Group will start work on 18 September 2006.

Mr McKinnon sent a Commonwealth Observer Group to the last Presidential Election in The Gambia in 2001.From: CNIS 302 - 13 September 2006 IssueCNIS Commonwealth News and Information Service Tel: +44 (0)20 7747 6554Fax: +44 (0)20 7839 9081E-mail: CNIS@commonwealth.int